Hi, I know this story is one of a million but I want to at least try and make a change. At least, I want people to know what happened. I know there are bigger things happening in the world but I have to let people know how disgusting my school was towards women recently. Every year my school, Columbus High School, has a "Holiday Social" where my entire school population (about 1,300 + administration) gets together to eat dinner at a local venue for the holidays.

This year, we were called to an assembly where the girls were shamed for the dresses they wear and bodies they have. There were about 25 rules about how we can't show any skin above three inches (our school is usually to the knee for females.), our straps must be 3 inches or more, etc. Out of these, there were about 2 rules for males. The entire assembly we were ridiculed and humiliated about our bodies in front of the entire junior and senior class. They called up "volunteers", about ten girls, all in different dresses. They picked them apart and shamed them for their dresses. The girls were not aware this would happen. Later, I asked one and they said they were "paid" with gift cards to do this. Then, our principal, the man supposed to set an example for us, said "LEAVE YOUR CLUB DRESSES AT HOME." As if we couldn't get any more ridiculed. As if the boys at our school needed another reason to shame girls simply for dressing how they want. 

Before the social, we were all scared to even go. Half of the tall girls couldn't even find dresses to fit them in dress code. Walking in, we felt threatened and scared. Once we walked in we found that we had to go through a door with two administrators checking our dresses and shoes. At one point, it was a male teacher checking us.  Everyone in our school was in this room and behind us. Again, this is over ONE THOUSAND people. This included pulling our coats off to check strap sizes, pulling our dresses up to check heel sizes, and generally humiliating us in front of over 1,000 people. But that isn't the worst part. IF they found we were out of dress code, they sent us to another line, STILL IN FRONT OF OUR ENTIRE SCHOOL, where more teachers with rulers to measure our shoes and straps and dress lengths. I was found to be out of dress code. I watched as a girl, my friend who earlier compared heel sizes with me and found them to be THE SAME, got through. I got sent to the other line. It was like we were entering a prisoner camp or the military. I went to the other table and found girls with heels way smaller than girls getting through getting in trouble. They measured us in front of our entire school. They humiliated us in front of our peers and basically made an example of us in front of EVERYONE. Some girls were crying. I'm not sure of the exact number but I've heard 100-200  girls got punished with ISS (in School Suspension). Yet this STILL isn't the worst part. THE BOYS WERE NOT CHECKED. THEY SEPARATED US. THEY LET THE BOYS THROUGH A SEPARATE DOOR AND LET THEM GET THROUGH WHILE THE GIRLS WERE CHECKED AS IF WE HAD ALREADY DONE SOMETHING WRONG. WE WERE PUNISHED FOR BEING FEMALES. It is so wrong that they not only let certain people through because they knew them, or because of other prejudices I don't know of yet. But either way we were singled out in front of every single person at our school and measured and ridiculed like criminals just for being female. This only set an example for the boys that they can get away with anything, as one of the boys was not even in formal attire. He was in sweatpants. Yet again the school system is placing males over females. Once again my education will be sacrificed because my body is being controlled and shamed  and what i choose to wear is being dictated. I will miss out on my three AP classes because I will be in ISS. NO BOYS WERE PUNISHED. THEIR EDUCATION IS NOT BEING THREATENED. THEY ARE PLACED ABOVE US ON EVERY SINGLE SCALE. How can they discriminate against us for being female? If this is not illegal, it needs to change. Gender discrimation in school systems and dress codes NEEDS TO END. I want everyone to know what happened and how awful it is. This is a public school with no religious affiliations so there is no basis for this discrimination based on ANYTHING. Please spread the word and help me make a change, for your friends, sisters, daughters, future daughters, and yourself.